Table of Contents
List of Maps v
1 The Best of Italy 1
Italy's Best Authentic Experiences 3
Italy's Most Memorable Restaurants 4
Italy's Most Charming Hotels 5
Italy's Best for Families 6
Italy's Best Socially Distanced Escapes 7
Italy's Best Museums 8
Italy's Best Free Things to Do 8
Italy's Iconic Architectural Landmarks 9
Best Undiscovered Italy 10
Italy's Best Active Adventures 11
Italy's Best Neighborhoods 12
2 Italy in Context 14
Italy Today: Pandemic & Recovery 15
The Making of Italy 16
When to Go 34
3 Suggested Italy Itineraries 37
Italy's Regions in Brief 38
The Best of Italy in 1 Week: Rome, Florence & Venice 40
The Best of Italy in 2 Weeks 43
Italy for Families 46
A Whistlestop Week-or-So for Food & Wine Lovers 50
Historic Cities of the North 53
Italy's Ancient Ruins 56
4 Rome 59
Essentials 61
Exploring Rome 73
Where to Stay in Rome 121
Where to Eat in Rome 134
Rome Shopping 148
Entertainment & Nightlife 150
Side Trips from Rome 154
5 Florence 159
Essentials 161
Exploring Florence 168
Where to Stay in Florence 198
Where to Eat in Florence 207
Florence Shopping 213
Entertainment & Nightlife 215
6 Tuscany 219
Siena 221
Montepulciano 241
Arezzo 255
Cortona 260
San Gimignano 266
Volterra 271
Lucca 278
Pisa 286
7 Umbria & the Marches 294
Perugia 296
Gubbio 306
Assisi 311
Spoleto 321
Orvieto 327
8 Bologna & Emiliaromagna 335
Bologna 337
Ferrara 358
Ravenna 366
Parma 373
9 Venice 381
Essentials 385
Exploring Venice 394
Where to Stay in Venice 418
Where to Eat in Venice 428
Venice Shopping 437
Entertainment & Nightlife 439
Day Trips from Venice 442
10 Milan, Piedmont & the Lakes 451
Milan 453
Bergamo 479
Mantua 483
Lake Como 489
Lake Maggiore 495
Lake Garda 500
Turin 505
The Piedmont Wine Country 521
Aosta & Valle d'Aosta 527
11 Genoa & The Cinque Terre 531
Genoa 534
The Riviera di Ponente: San Remo 546
The Riviera ds Levante: Camogh, Santa Margherita Ligure St Portofino 549
The Cinque Terre 558
12 Naples & Pompeii 569
Naples 571
Around Naples 600
Pompeii & Herculaneum 607
13 Sorrento & The Amalfi Coast 619
Sorrento 622
The Sorrento Peninsula 634
Positarib 637
Between Positano & Amalfi 645
Amalfi 647
Ravello 655
The Ruins of Paestum 662
Capri 664
Ischia 680
14 Basilicata & Puglia 687
Matera 690
Puglia's North Coast 698
The Valle d'Itria: Trullo Country 703
Lecce 713
15 Sicily 723
Palermo 726
Taormina 751
Siracusa 760
Piazza Armerina 775
Agrigento & the Valley of the Temples 777
Sicily's West Coast 779
16 Planning Your Trip to Italy 793
Arriving 794
Getting Around 796
Index 810